The bill, General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6414, proposes amendments to the employment regulations for minors who have reached the age of fifteen, specifically allowing them to work in retail stores. The current law, which restricts minors from working in retail food stores, is amended to permit fifteen-year-olds to be employed in any mercantile establishment, including retail stores, under certain conditions. These conditions include limitations on work hours, such as not exceeding forty hours per week or eight hours per day, and restrictions on working hours between seven in the morning and seven in the evening, with extended hours until nine in the evening during the summer months.

Additionally, the bill repeals the existing language that specifically mentions "retail food store" and replaces it with "mercantile establishment," thereby broadening the scope of employment opportunities for fifteen-year-olds. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025, and aims to align the working conditions for fifteen-year-olds in retail stores with those already established for grocery stores and other employment settings.